Remember this guy? He’s 2 1/2! I am in awe of the toddler my little baby’s grown into.
He’s a walking, talking, big-boy-potty-using cool guy who is equally loving and gentle as rough and tumble. And I just keep falling more in love with him everyday.
Ready for some updates? Feel free to just scroll through and check out the pictures. I get it. Otherwise, enjoy the details!
Growth & Development
At his 2 1/2 year check up, Luke was 32 pounds, 4 ounces (75 percentile) and 38 1/2 inches tall (95th percentile). He’s grown 2 inches in the last six months! He towers over a lot of kids his age.
His development is right on track. He talks in complete sentences–paragraphs really! His favorite phrase that cracks me up lately is “Woah–that was a close one!” which he says basically about everything, close one or not.
He’s a super active kid who tries his best to keep up with his big sister. He tries to run as fast, jump as high, and climb all over everything just like she does. He pretty much adores Meghan and she’s a great big sister to Luke.
MSPI
If you’ve been reading a while, you know that Luke was diagnosed with Milk Soy Protein Intolerance when he was an infant. As far as we can tell, he’s outgrown this. I’m a far way from totally understanding food intolerances, but he doesn’t show any obvious symptoms of not tolerating any of the food he eats. I’ve not been restricting his diet for a while now, and his stools are normal. I was worried that they aren’t always formed, but his doctor assured me this can be normal at this age, especially if the child eats a lot of fruit (he does). That being said, he doesn’t eat a lot of dairy or soy. Although I’m sure he gets some soy in various forms, especially when we eat out, he’s refused the soy things I’ve offered him (tofu and edamame). I’ve never offered him cow’s milk, but I have offered him cheese and he doesn’t like it much so has only had a few bites. He does like macaroni and cheese, so that’s the most dairy he’s eaten in one sitting. I also use butter on things like toast, pancakes, etc and he likes that. He also gets some milk from the bread we eat. So while I think he’s mostly outgrown it, I can’t say how he’ll do if/when he has larger quantities.
Potty Training
We are three weeks into potty training and he’s doing great! The first week was rough, but it’s gotten better and better each week. I used the bare bottom method and just rushed him to the toilet (or small potty chair) any time I saw him looking like he needed to go. Now he initiates and tells me when he needs to go. We even went out two full mornings last week with underwear on and he went to the bathroom in public places and didn’t have any accidents. I’m crossing my fingers that it keeps going well!
Breastfeeding
I really need to write a separate post about extended breastfeeding. For now I’ll just say that yes, I’m still breastfeeding. I thought we’d be done by now, but Luke just wants no part of weaning, and I have no desire to force him to wean. So on we go. I did gently encourage him to cut out one feeding (the morning feeding) so now he just nurses twice a day, once before his nap and once before bed. I hope that he decides to wean himself as that would make my life much easier, but for now I’m content with how things are.
Sleeping and Eating
Luke’s settled into a great little sleeper. Go ahead and knock on wood for me, but right now he’s sleeping through the night 10-11 hours and then takes a long 2-3 hour nap, starting around 1:00. It took a while to get here, but I’m so glad he’s finally consistent!
Predictably, he’s entered into a finicky eating stage. I knew that most toddlers go through a “picky” phase that usually starts between 2 and 2 1/2. I was ready for this, but it’s still frustrating. He still has his days where he eats really well, so it could be a lot worse. His favorite fruits right now are grapes and watermelon and his favorite vegetables are broccoli and cucumbers. He loves steak, but won’t eat chicken very much lately. Sometimes he’ll eat fish, sometimes not. He used to love beans, now those are really hit or miss. (Unless I put them in a cookie. Then he’s all for the beans.) I’m just going to ride out this stage and know that it gets easier. I’ve been there, done that with Meghan.
I’ll leave you with one last picture of Luke and his handsome daddy. Everyone says he looks just like him. Do you agree?
Hi I wanted to reach out about your experience with MSPI. My 16 month old has a cows milk intolerance, same symptoms Luke showed. We’re not totally sure about soy right now, as you described it’s tough to tell whether a baby is fussy from food intolerance or just plain fussy. We had a definite fail with milk last month. She was doing ok with milk baked in things but not straight milk and I’m not sure about cheese and yogurt. I’ve cut all dairy back out but want to try things like goldfish and crackers with milk again. Did you find that Luke was able to tolerate snacks/baked goods with milk before he tolerates straight cheese and yogurt? I’m just nervous to try again. Thanks so much!!
Hmmmm….I’m not sure about that. If I remember correctly, I didn’t try baked in things first, but straight cheese/yogurt to test.
I actually found your blog through StitchFix reviews, and decided to read back through because of the real food aspects of your blog (so many good recipes I can’t wait to try!). Usually I read and don’t comment on new blogs, but it’s so rare for me to find someone else who is still breastfeeding past two that I couldn’t not post a comment. My daughter is just a bit over 2.5 months now (will be 3 right before Christmas) and she still nurses once or twice a day (morning and bedtime). I am ready to be done but she is not, so I’m pretty much where you are on that. She’s definitely my last (3rd child) so I’m trying not to rush it either, even though I’m pretty weary of it after 5+ years of being pregnant or breastfeeding (or both).
So, I just wanted to say thanks for being willing to post about it. It’s really nice to not feel alone on the subject!
Hi Jill–thanks for commenting! I often feel alone on the subject of extended breastfeeding, too, so I’m glad to connect with you. Luke’s birthday is right before Christmas, too. I go back and forth between remembering to savor the breastfeeding moments since he could be my last and I know how fast it goes by, but there are plenty of days I’m just so done with it, too. Unfortunately he shows absolutely no signs of disinterest so I’m nervous that I may have to initiate weaning at some point. We’ll see.
Happy 2.5 years to your little one! He looks just like his daddy….super cute.
If he’s your last then I would encourage you to bear w/ the extended breastfeeding. It *will* end *soon* and you’ll *never* get it back. Enjoy it while it lasts. My little one-she turned 3 the other day so she’s only 6 mos older-weaned right at age 2. I miss it. She’s probably our last so I’m so grateful we kept it up!
I’m not sure that’s he’s my last, but there’s a good chance he is. So you are right–I shouldn’t rush the weaning. Thanks for the reminder that this time is fleeting.
I loved reading your update. My little guy is 26 months and still breastfeeds. We finally night-weaned over the last 2 weeks, and he is finally sleeping better now that he isn’t expecting to nurse every time he stirs at the end of a sleep cycle! He still asks for it a few times throughout the day, in addition to naptime/bedtime/waking up. One step at a time, I suppose! I always enjoy your recipes and blogs. Thanks for sharing!
Yay for night sleep! Life is so much easier when the family gets sleep, no?